A mother has claimed that her burst Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) breast implant could have caused her young daughter's incurable brain cancer.

According to a report by The Sun, Lucy Petagine's five-year-old daughter Luna was diagnosed at 18 months old after being breastfed by her mother whose breast implant had ruptured just after Luna was born.

Lucy, 38, was reassured by her doctor that breastfeeding wouldn't pose a risk to her daughter's safety.

A number of months later, Luna was diagnosed with a brain tumour called ependymoma, and Lucy feared that her daughter's illness could be linked to her burst PIP breast implants.

Talking to The Sun, Lucy said: "The best the doctors can tell me is, 'We just don't know enough about it'. Frankly, I think it's time someone found out for sure what these things have done to our bodies."

Lucy had her breasts enlarged by a private surgeon at the Highgate Hospital in North London in 2001.

In a statement, the hospital said: "Highgate Hospital does not discuss or disclose details of the care or treatment of individual patients with anybody without the express consent of the patients themselves.

"We can say that we have not been contacted by this patient to discuss any concerns she may have relating to her surgical procedure or subsequent treatment. We would of course be happy to talk these matters through with her if she would like to make contact with us."